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Why “Born This Way” Arguments are Flawed

“Born this way” arguments, such as those employed by the LGBT crowd are inane. They basically boil down to: “I was born this way, therefore I am off limits from criticism as it was not a conscious choice.” The reasons for the inanity of such arguments are three-fold: such arguments can be equivalent for drastically different groups according to acceptance in society, they shield one from criticism arbitrarily and they attempt to eliminate the fringe whose status may have come through conscious choice.

Society has dictated that certain behaviors, even if rooted in genetics, are punishable. Regardless of whether such persecution is justified or not, the result is the same. There is logical equality between the homosexual playing the “born this way” card and the pedophile or psychopath doing the same even if society has essentially dictated that one is acceptable and the others are not. I am placing equivalence on the arguments, not the conditions, just so that we are clear.

Criticism is especially important for the continuation and furthering of discourse regarding anything. By playing the “born this way” card, people making such arguments effectively attempt to subvert the process of discourse; they shield themselves from all criticism behind an argument that may or may not even be true on a global level. Discourse cannot be had if a group holds themselves to be off-limits.

Finally, these arguments are used to silence the fringe whose stories and experiences are very important to understanding the larger condition as a whole. Many psychopaths, myself included, choose to be bisexual, for instance, as a means of furthering power plays. Some homosexuals eventually shift from heterosexuality to homosexuality (see many transgender individuals here), some transgender individuals choose to transition in the absence of dysphoria, so on and so forth. We are denying all of these voices by placing such emphasis on a nearly-unprovable question of whether behaviors of choice are dictated in the womb.

I know that this post will be embraced with controversy. I am not tipping my hand as to how I personally feel regarding the persecution or embraced status of those I describe. What I seek to point out is that the “born this way” argument kills discourse and silences the fringe. A progressive audience should reject this out of hand, unless they are trying to have their cake and eat it too.